


Matchmaker

by Kate_Shepard



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Garrus Is Oblivious, Shakarian - Freeform, Some Humor, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-28 07:39:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6320467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kate_Shepard/pseuds/Kate_Shepard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Horizon, Garrus decides that Shepard is lonely and needs a partner. He plays matchmaker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Matchmaker

**Author's Note:**

> BioWare owns the Mass Effect universe and all characters. I just play with it for my own entertainment.

Jacob looked up from the arc projector for the third time in as many minutes. His focus should be on the weapon he was trying to repair for Shepard after it had malfunctioned again. He knew she was beginning to regret agreeing to beta test the device but the Illusive Man was convinced it would be useful. He was having trouble focusing on the new tech, however, because of the alien hovering in the armory.

It wasn’t uncommon for Garrus to come up here and work on Shepard’s sniper rifle. He would calibrate the scope, add and replace mods, or simply clean it for her when she inevitably got dragged off to deal with some new crisis. Shepard loved that rifle and, though he wasn’t a sniper, Jacob could see why. He wasn’t surprised that Garrus was the only person she allowed to even touch the Widow. She preferred to take care of her weapons herself but if she couldn’t do it, Garrus took over the task for her. Now, however, the turian seemed to have something on his mind. He wasn’t working on any of the weapons and Jacob got the distinct feeling that he was working up to something and that his attention wasn’t really on the armor locker he was pretending to be peering into. With a sigh, Jacob asked, “Is there something I can do for you, Garrus?”

“Shepard’s a human,” Garrus said and Jacob blinked at the non sequitur.

“Yeah,” Jacob agreed slowly.

“And you’re a human,” the turian added.

“Yes,” Jacob said, wondering what he was getting at.

Garrus cocked his head and pretended to examine her pistol. “She’s considered attractive by human standards, right?”

"I suppose,” Jacob answered warily.

“And you’re a good-looking guy, right? I mean, you’ve got a lot of muscles and, you know, that whole square jaw thing human women seem to go for.”

Jacob wasn’t sure if Garrus was trying to set him up with the commander or hit on him. “Your point?” he asked somewhat sharply.

“Oh, I, uh, hmm. Well, I was just thinking that maybe Shepard could use a, uh, friend,” the turian said hesitantly. 

Jacob laughed a little bitterly and shook his head. “You’re barking up the wrong tree, Vakarian. She already shot me down. Hard. What’s this all about?”

Garrus sighed deeply and put down the pistol he’d been turning over in his hands. “Nothing,” he said after a moment. “It’s nothing. Sorry for bothering you.”

Well, Jacob thought as the turian made a hasty retreat, that was odd. He shook off the strange interaction and turned his attention back to the arc projector. If he tweaked this piece right here…he jumped as a spark of electricity shot out and his barrier flickered and then died. Damn, that hurt. The awkward conversation was forgotten.

___

“Officer Vakarian,” Thane said as Garrus hesitantly entered the Life Support room. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” 

Garrus meandered over to his display case and looked at the weapons arrayed on the backlit stands. “Nice selection you have here,” he said conversationally. Thane waited without responding. He was probably closer with the turian than with anyone else on the ship short of Shepard herself as they were almost always on her ground team together but this was the first time that Vakarian had come to his quarters. He did not imagine that the turian had come simply to discuss the rifles and pistols he’d already seen.

His suspicion was confirmed when Garrus shifted uncomfortably and said, “You and Shepard seem to have gotten pretty close lately.”

“Commander Shepard is a remarkable woman,” Thane said casually, steepling his hands over the table as he watched the anxious turian. “She is swiftly becoming a very good friend.”

“Just a friend?” Garrus asked baldly.

Thane cocked his head curiously as he evaluated the question. Vakarian’s manner didn’t imply a territorial threat so he thought that the likelihood of a challenge was slim. He knew that the turian had been Shepard’s right arm through the Eden Prime War and had seen for himself the unspoken communication they shared in the field. It had been clear from their first mission as a trio that the human and the turian were not only accustomed to working together but had a strong connection that went beyond that of fellow soldiers. He wondered if Vakarian was being protective rather than possessive but that did not fit, either. There was no one on this ship who respected her capabilities more than her turian sidekick. 

“Yes,” Thane answered simply, unable to determine the nature of the inquiry.

"Have you ever thought about something more?” Garrus asked. “I have it on good authority that she’s considered very attractive by human standards and I know several of the females on board have expressed their, uh, appreciation for you. You two never seem to lack for something to talk about and, most importantly, you’re almost as determined as I am to guard her back. She’d be safe with you.”

“I am dying, Garrus,” he reminded him. “I will not deny that I have come to care for her and I have too much respect for Shepard to attempt to protect her from that fact should she express a desire for something beyond friendship. However, I am not selfish enough to initiate something of my own accord when I know that I can only offer her months rather than the lifetime she deserves.”

“Damn,” Garrus said, hanging his head. “You’re a good man, Thane, and an honorable one.”

“You seem troubled,” Thane commented. “If I may be of assistance, you have only to ask.”

Garrus rubbed the back of his neck in a strangely human gesture and continued to look at the display as he said, “It’s an old _Normandy_ thing.”

Thane nodded and said, “The offer still stands.”

Garrus thanked him and left. Thane returned to watching the glow of the drive core as he pondered the conversation. Something was bothering Garrus and it involved Shepard and the old crew somehow. He had to admit that his curiosity was piqued. Perhaps it was time for him to do some recon. If something was going on that affected Shepard, then it could detrimentally affect the mission. He told himself that his interest was purely to that affect and not out of anything more than friendly concern for the commander.

___

Liara looked up from her desk as her new assistant alerted her to an incoming call from Garrus of all people. She took the call on her omni-tool and waved the maiden from the room. Her first thought was that Garrus was calling for information on Sidonis but he seemed too nervous for a simple request for information. Honestly, he didn’t even have to ask. She’d already put one of her contacts on the task of finding the traitorous turian who’d betrayed her friend. Shepard had asked her to do it but she’d have discovered his search eventually and done it without prompting. She might not serve on the _Normandy_ anymore but they were still family and she could understand blood debts.

Garrus made small talk for a while but he was worse than usual at it and she tried to steer the conversation around to his purpose. It wasn’t at all what she was expecting, though. He seemed to be attempting to convince her to proposition Shepard. Liara wondered what had gotten into him as she rubbed her brow. “Garrus, the commander is heterosexual. My species may be mono-gendered but, in her eyes, I am a woman. I accepted her lack of interest a long time ago. Our relationship is more sisterly now than anything else.”

“Oh,” he said and seemed at a loss.

“What is this all about?” she asked. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Garrus leaned his head back and she could see that he’d propped himself up against a terminal in what looked like the battery of the ship. He looked both worried and strangely defeated. “You know that Shepard and Kaidan had a…thing…before she died, right?”

Liara nodded. Kaidan had been painfully obvious about his infatuation with the commander and it was no secret that he had spent the night before Ilos in her company. He’d confided it to Liara with all of the exhilaration of a schoolboy with his first love. He’d thought that their night together had been the start of something between them. Unfortunately for him, the commander had seen it as nothing more than two comrades seeking solace in each other before a potentially deadly mission. 

Liara had had the misfortune of stumbling upon the argument that had ensued when they’d survived the Battle of the Citadel and Shepard had acted as if nothing ground-shaking had happened and, to her, nothing had. Shepard wasn’t promiscuous. Liara knew that from the melding of their minds. She’d tried to keep her exploration focused on the Prothean data but other things had bled through, including the identity of the person with whom Shepard’s interest had truly lain. The argument had been uncomfortable to witness and Liara hadn’t spoken of it with anyone. 

“Well,” Garrus said, “we saw Kaidan on Horizon a month or so ago. It wasn’t pleasant. He said some things to her, called her a traitor, threw their time together back in her face. She seemed to take it in stride at first but it’s been eating at her. I think it’s shaken her confidence in herself as a woman. I just keep thinking that if she had someone else to focus on, someone to make her feel…I don’t know…special, then maybe she’d perk up a bit. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to be interested in anyone here on the ship. I know you two were close, so I was hoping…”

Liara shook her head. The poor man was so clueless. She wished that she could tell him he was wrong but she couldn’t betray Shepard’s trust by sharing something she’d learned while inside her mind. Shepard thought he wasn’t interested and Liara couldn’t say with certainty that the commander was wrong. That made her even more unwilling to risk it and so she simply said, “I’ll give her a call. Maybe the next time you guys are in this area, she can stop by and we can go out for drinks and talk.”

“Thanks, Liara,” he said. “And, uh, sorry. For the awkwardness, I mean.”

“It’s all right,” she said. “And I’m sorry about your team but I am glad that you’re back. If I find anything on Sidonis, I’ll pass it along.”

___

Joker shuffled into the mess hall, shaking his head. He heard the low murmur of voices that told him that lunch was still going. He generally ate on the bridge as he hated leaving his baby in the hands of that damn AI but right now he needed someone to talk to. This was just getting too bizarre for him to handle on his own.

He found most of the men of the ship gathered at a table and was relieved to see that one very strange turian was absent. They broke off their conversation as he came in but continued it again once they saw that it was just him. He slid into a seat beside Jacob and wasn’t surprised to learn that the topic of conversation was Garrus’ weird behavior. Joker could sort of understand why Shepard kept him around. He was loyal to her, there was no doubt about that. But the alien had no sense of humor and he’d been even weirder than normal after Shepard had found him on the hellhole that was Omega.

He jumped in when there was a break in the conversation. “Glad to see I’m not the only one who’s noticed it.”

“You knew him before,” Jacob said. “What do you think is going on here?”

Joker shook his head. “I don’t know. He’s always been weird. I mean, he’s a damn alien. Thirty years ago, his kind and ours were at each other’s throats. Now a turian is humanity’s hero’s best friend. I like the guy well enough, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t understand him.”

Zaeed said, “I’m just pissed he didn’t come to me. I’d be more than happy to help the commander with whatever’s crawled up her ass.”

Grunt said, “Well, I’m just glad he didn’t come to me. She’s like my mom or something.”

Thane surprised him by speaking up. “He mentioned the former _Normandy_ when we spoke. Perhaps you could shed some light on the situation.”

A light went on and suddenly everything made sense. Joker laughed until he was afraid one of his ribs was going to break. Oh, Garrus, he thought, you idiot. This was because of Kaidan. The commander had been shaken by Horizon but Joker thought that the changes in her attitude had been less because of Alenko and more because Garrus had locked himself away in the main battery when he wasn’t trying and failing at playing matchmaker. 

Everyone on the old crew knew about the night before Ilos but Shepard wasn’t the type of woman to cry in her cereal because a guy she’d banged once was mean to her. She was, however, in command of a new crew that bore some eerie similarities to the old one, on a ship that was a copy of the one she’d lost, after dying and being resurrected by a group that she didn’t trust. Joker knew that she respected and even liked him. She wouldn’t let him get away with half the shit he pulled if she didn’t. He also knew that she liked the doc. They weren’t her team, though. They hadn’t been the ones fighting rachni with her or talking to the thorian or standing beside her when she made the call between Ash and Kaidan. The doc had patched them up after missions but she hadn’t been there. Joker had listened in on all of them and had piloted the ship against Sovereign in the Battle of the Citadel but he hadn’t seen Saren change from a turian to a freaky robot. He hadn’t watched her climb out of the rubble. None of this new crew had, either. Garrus was the only one left who’d been there through it all. Tali, Liara, Kaidan, and even Wrex had gone their own way. She and Vakarian were all that were left.

Now the oblivious turian was trying to set her up with other guys in some misguided attempt to, what, get her laid? Boost her confidence? Soothe her nerves? For such a smart guy, he could be really dumb sometimes. Shepard didn’t need Joker or Thane or Jacob or Ken or any of the others. She needed Garrus to pull his head out of his ass. He couldn’t tell that to these guys, though. He had no problem fucking with Shepard for laughs but this was too…personal. She didn’t talk about her feelings much and she wouldn’t appreciate him sharing something like this.

All he said was, “Garrus is an idiot.”  
___

Garrus was frustrated. All he wanted was to help Shepard and he would have thought that any man—and a lot of women—in the galaxy would give everything they owned for a chance with the savior of the Citadel. Shepard shouldn’t have any problem finding someone who wanted her. The reality, however, was quite the opposite. Either she didn’t like them or they were too intimidated by her or there was something else holding them back. 

He’d tried everyone he could think of who he thought would have half a chance with her and wouldn’t end up hurting her worse than Kaidan had. Zaeed was definitely out and Grunt was too young. Mordin didn’t have a sex drive and, strangely enough, seemed to view Shepard as kind of a daughter. The current crew all had their reasons, Kaidan was the root of the problem, Liara was the wrong gender or not enough of the right gender or something. Hell, he’d even tried his C-Sec buddies. Pallin didn’t like her for some reason. Most of the others were scared shitless of her. He’d thought Haron was interested but he’d fledged out before reaching her table when they’d all gone out for drinks the last time they were on shore leave.

Now they were on Tuchanka and Wrex was laughing at him. Yeah, the krogan had been a long shot. He admitted it had been a bad idea. But he could distinctly recall comments Wrex had made in the shuttle bay about the commander and he’d had to try. She couldn’t be safer than with the old krogan and he knew that Wrex respected and liked her. It had seemed like a good idea at the time.

“Turian, have you ever seen a krogan cock?” Wrex asked, sounding highly amused. “I assume you want her to survive this encounter you’re planning for her.”

“I’ve heard humans, ah, stretch,” he said defensively, feeling heat rise under his fringe.

“Not that much,” Wrex chuckled. “Well, maybe their porn stars but not their regular women. Are you going to hit up an elcor next? Besides, humans are mostly monogamous. Krogan aren’t. I’d rather not end up with the few fertile females we have left dead by her hand.”

Garrus sighed. “I just don’t know what to do, Wrex. I’m worried about her. Kaidan…hurt her. She needs to know someone out there cares.”

“What about you?” Wrex suggested.

“What about me?” Garrus asked.

Wrex shook his massive head and laughed that creepy laugh. Garrus tried not to shudder. The krogan said, “You really are clueless, aren’t you, whelp?”

Garrus fixed him with a cold stare and Wrex laughed again. “Just what the hell does that mean?”

“She isn’t interested in the new crew and she isn’t interested in Liara or Jacob or me and it wasn’t Kaidan her eyes followed when she thought nobody was looking,” Wrex said. “I thought turians could smell pheromones.”

“We can,” he said.

“So you just don’t like her,” Wrex said.

“What? No. I mean—I’m not—I don’t. She’s Commander Shepard,” he sputtered.

“Just can’t tell human pheromones, then,” Wrex decided. “She doesn’t want us, you fool. She wants you. I could smell it on her every time she came down to make her rounds. Even if you couldn’t, did you never notice that she spent more time talking to you than anyone else on the ship? When you stayed on the Citadel, she spent every free moment she had buried in her omni-tool sending messages to someone and I’d never seen her do that while you were there.”

“We’re friends,” Garrus said lamely. Shepard didn’t want him. Sure, she liked him and she trusted him but she didn’t see him that way…right?

Wrex said, “Keep telling yourself that, turian, and you’re going to lose your chance. At least you’ll only have a century or two to regret it.”

Garrus walked away more confused than ever. Wrex had to be wrong. What would the savior of the Citadel want with a rogue C-Sec officer and failed vigilante like him? She was a hero and he was a nobody with nothing to offer or recommend him but a good name from a family he had barely spoken to in years. There was nobody in the galaxy he respected more than her and she deserved better than someone like him. Besides, she’d never shown any interest in him…had she?

He thought back to all of the times she’d sought him out both on the old _Normandy_ and the new. They’d spent countless hours in the shuttle bay with her content to sit on the grimy floor beside him and pass him tools as he fixed the mako yet again, gathered around a table laughing and talking as they played hand after hand of Skyllian Five poker, sitting in her cabin watching horrible vids while they made fun of the terrible acting. He thought of the disappointment she tried to hide when he’d become too busy to spend time with her on the new ship and the way she just kept trying. He thought of the look in her eyes when she’d found him on Omega and again when she’d crouched over him as his blood pooled out on the floor. He remembered the single, unguarded moment of apparent joy and relief when she’d realized he’d made it and the way she kept saying she couldn’t do any of this without him. He’d thought she was just being nice, but when had Shepard ever said anything she didn’t mean?

He found her with the chief scout, shooting pyjaks with Grunt. Her face was alight with laughter as she and her strange son bonded over heavy weapons and explosions. She’d never looked more beautiful to him than she did in that moment with her hair plastered to her face from the Tuchankan heat and the dying light of the sun casting an amber glow to her smiling features as she pulled the trigger again and let out a delighted whoop followed by Grunt’s rolling laughter. 

Grunt caught sight of him and nudged the scout. The other krogan huffed and the two of them left the barricaded area. Garrus waited until she’d cleared the last round of pyjaks before gathering his courage and walking up behind her. His arms slid around her and he bent his head to hers. He half expected to be met with an elbow to the face but, of course, she knew it was him even if his action was unexpected. What surprised him, though, was the way she leaned back into him and brought her hands in to cover his. 

“I’ve been an idiot,” he said softly.

“You’ll have to be more specific than that, Vakarian,” she retorted with a smile in her voice.

It was easier to talk to her this way, with her facing away from him where he couldn’t see her eyes boring in to his. Her thumb brushed lightly over his and he heard himself say, “I thought you needed someone who cares about you, who sees you for who you are and not for what he thinks you should be, someone who would stand by you through thick and thin and walk through hell with you. I thought I needed to look around to find it. I didn’t realize that you already had and were just waiting for me to figure it out.”

“Took you long enough,” she said and her fingers entwined with his as her head came back to rest against his chest. She angled her face up to look at him then and said, “Does that mean you’re offering to be there?”

“If you want me, I’m right behind you, Shepard,” he said and his eyes drifted closed as she pushed up onto her toes and her soft lips met his stiffer ones. He felt her smile and said a silent thanks to Wrex.


End file.
